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Fine Young People
In this "smart, irreverent secret history" novel, a high-school senior investigates the death of a star hockey player at her elite Jesuit school, where she discovers the rot at the heart of the institution—and the truth about her own past along the way (Stewart O'Nan).
Frankie is a good daughter, a loyal best friend, and a model student, coasting through her final semester at an elite Catholic prep school in a wealthy Pittsburgh enclave. But acceptance to her dream college leaves her unmoored. When a classmate takes his life after posting a cryptic message about Woolf Whiting—a former student hockey player who died in a presumed suicide years earlier—Frankie and her best friend, Shiv, decide to investigate Woolf’s death as part of their journalism class project.
As the community mourns, a muffled conversation between Frankie's mom, who teaches history at the school, and the priest who teaches her philosophy class draws the girls further into unraveling the mysterious life and death of Woolf. Frankie speaks to his sister, now a high-powered lawyer in New York; his former girlfriend, who Woolf's mother is convinced knows more about his death than she has revealed; and his best friend. As she does, she discovers much more than she expected about the history of her supposed elite education—and the truth about her own past.
With a wry, send-up-the-patriarchy, wise-beyond-her-years narrator and a page-turning plot, Fine Young People is a cold-case mystery with a Hitchcockian twist and a portrait of a young woman searching for meaning in a world that values achievement above all else.
Frankie is a good daughter, a loyal best friend, and a model student, coasting through her final semester at an elite Catholic prep school in a wealthy Pittsburgh enclave. But acceptance to her dream college leaves her unmoored. When a classmate takes his life after posting a cryptic message about Woolf Whiting—a former student hockey player who died in a presumed suicide years earlier—Frankie and her best friend, Shiv, decide to investigate Woolf’s death as part of their journalism class project.
As the community mourns, a muffled conversation between Frankie's mom, who teaches history at the school, and the priest who teaches her philosophy class draws the girls further into unraveling the mysterious life and death of Woolf. Frankie speaks to his sister, now a high-powered lawyer in New York; his former girlfriend, who Woolf's mother is convinced knows more about his death than she has revealed; and his best friend. As she does, she discovers much more than she expected about the history of her supposed elite education—and the truth about her own past.
With a wry, send-up-the-patriarchy, wise-beyond-her-years narrator and a page-turning plot, Fine Young People is a cold-case mystery with a Hitchcockian twist and a portrait of a young woman searching for meaning in a world that values achievement above all else.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2025
23 people are currently reading
4965 people want to read
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July 26, 2025No rating / DNF @ 29%
Strong voice, buried truths, & slow-burning institutional tension!
Even though campus mysteries are not usually my first pick, I was curious about this one and found myself drawn into Frankie’s quiet but determined search for answers. There is a cold case at its heart, but the story leans more reflective than twisty, and I appreciated the thoughtful approach. The elite Catholic school setting was convincingly claustrophobic, full of unspoken rules and long-protected secrets.
I made it to 29% before deciding to set this one aside. There was nothing necessarily wrong with it and I think many readers will connect with the themes and the slow, character-driven style. For me, it just was not the story I was in the mood for right now. Frankie’s voice is sharp and sceptical, and I can see why this would work well for others, even if I did not feel fully pulled in myself.
This one might be a great match for readers who enjoy a quieter mystery with an introspective edge.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. I might come back to this one down the road when the timing feels right.
Strong voice, buried truths, & slow-burning institutional tension!
Even though campus mysteries are not usually my first pick, I was curious about this one and found myself drawn into Frankie’s quiet but determined search for answers. There is a cold case at its heart, but the story leans more reflective than twisty, and I appreciated the thoughtful approach. The elite Catholic school setting was convincingly claustrophobic, full of unspoken rules and long-protected secrets.
I made it to 29% before deciding to set this one aside. There was nothing necessarily wrong with it and I think many readers will connect with the themes and the slow, character-driven style. For me, it just was not the story I was in the mood for right now. Frankie’s voice is sharp and sceptical, and I can see why this would work well for others, even if I did not feel fully pulled in myself.
This one might be a great match for readers who enjoy a quieter mystery with an introspective edge.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. I might come back to this one down the road when the timing feels right.
August 4, 2025
I was lucky enough to connect with Anna Bruno here on Goodreads, and a quick look at her page convinced me I was in the presence of a
writer with excellent taste (we shared a lot of favorites—yes, I’m biased!).
Turns out her book taste was a great appetizer to her excellent writing. It’s refreshing (like, so refreshing!) to read “genre fiction” (this one is billed as a thriller/mystery) with excellent writing, and deeper themes explored, but that doesn’t depart from its larger genre format. The whodunnit part is gripping, but you walk away from this having also put a lot of thought into faith, family, and what it means to grow into one’s own on the cusp of adulthood.
I am also always impressed at a writer who truly manages to be funny. Bruno inhabits teen characters and makes them funny in a teenager way that isn’t condescending and stays realistic.
Also, if you have ties to Pittsburgh, this is a sort of love letter to that city in ways.
100% worth the read; thank you Anna!!
writer with excellent taste (we shared a lot of favorites—yes, I’m biased!).
Turns out her book taste was a great appetizer to her excellent writing. It’s refreshing (like, so refreshing!) to read “genre fiction” (this one is billed as a thriller/mystery) with excellent writing, and deeper themes explored, but that doesn’t depart from its larger genre format. The whodunnit part is gripping, but you walk away from this having also put a lot of thought into faith, family, and what it means to grow into one’s own on the cusp of adulthood.
I am also always impressed at a writer who truly manages to be funny. Bruno inhabits teen characters and makes them funny in a teenager way that isn’t condescending and stays realistic.
Also, if you have ties to Pittsburgh, this is a sort of love letter to that city in ways.
100% worth the read; thank you Anna!!
March 30, 2025
Fine Young People is a smart, introspective mystery set against the polished backdrop of a Catholic prep school - where secrets fester just beneath the surface. We follow Frankie, a high-achieving high school senior navigating her final semester at an elite Pittsburgh institution. On paper, she’s doing everything right: she’s a loyal friend, a model student, and just got into her dream college. But when a current student dies by suicide, leaving behind a cryptic message linked to Woolf Whiting - a former hockey star whose own death years earlier was quietly labeled a suicide - Frankie and her best friend Shiv start digging into the past. What begins as a class project slowly unravels into something much bigger, and much darker.
Frankie is a great narrator - sharp, observant, and quietly rebellious in her own way. Her voice brings a contemporary bite to the campus novel format, and her journey from comfortable insider to someone questioning everything she’s been taught feels believable and resonant. As she peels back layers of institutional gloss, she starts to see the elitism, silence, and complicity that have kept certain truths buried for years.
There’s a lot to admire in Anna Bruno’s writing. The dialogue is sharp, the setting is richly drawn, and the commentary on class, patriarchy, and academic pressure lands in a way that feels timely without being heavy-handed. That said, the pacing is a bit uneven. Some chapters fly by with cinematic momentum, while others lean a little too heavily on introspection, slowing the narrative just when you want it to kick into gear. The mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing, but the emotional payoff feels slightly diluted by the book’s slower stretches.
Still, if you’re into campus novels with a moody atmosphere, slow-burn mysteries, and flawed characters confronting big systems, Fine Young People is worth your time. It’s less about shocking twists and more about peeling back the layers of a well-oiled institution - and what it takes for someone to see the cracks for the first time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the advance reader’s copy!
Frankie is a great narrator - sharp, observant, and quietly rebellious in her own way. Her voice brings a contemporary bite to the campus novel format, and her journey from comfortable insider to someone questioning everything she’s been taught feels believable and resonant. As she peels back layers of institutional gloss, she starts to see the elitism, silence, and complicity that have kept certain truths buried for years.
There’s a lot to admire in Anna Bruno’s writing. The dialogue is sharp, the setting is richly drawn, and the commentary on class, patriarchy, and academic pressure lands in a way that feels timely without being heavy-handed. That said, the pacing is a bit uneven. Some chapters fly by with cinematic momentum, while others lean a little too heavily on introspection, slowing the narrative just when you want it to kick into gear. The mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing, but the emotional payoff feels slightly diluted by the book’s slower stretches.
Still, if you’re into campus novels with a moody atmosphere, slow-burn mysteries, and flawed characters confronting big systems, Fine Young People is worth your time. It’s less about shocking twists and more about peeling back the layers of a well-oiled institution - and what it takes for someone to see the cracks for the first time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the advance reader’s copy!
October 1, 2025
Way too much Catholicism
August 16, 2025
got very bored by the end, thought the mystery was a bit bland.
however, the characters were really interesting and i enjoyed the way they were written as teens without making the novel ya.
i also didn’t really understand the motivation behind the reveal at the end which made it more underwhelming for me.
however, the characters were really interesting and i enjoyed the way they were written as teens without making the novel ya.
i also didn’t really understand the motivation behind the reveal at the end which made it more underwhelming for me.
August 26, 2025
I really enjoyed the way the author flips between present and past, teenagers and 20 somethings. A surprise ending that felt like a surprise, and a commentary on kids sports that didn’t feel trite.
July 15, 2025
Anna Bruno’s Fine Young People is a layered, atmospheric novel that unfolds at St. Ignatius, a fictional Catholic prep school nestled in the leafy affluence of Sewickley, Pennsylvania. On its surface, the book is a whodunit: what happened to Wolf, the golden boy at the center of a privileged friend group, nearly two decades ago? But Bruno's elegant narrative burrows deeper, excavating the social, spiritual, and emotional rot beneath the school’s polished reputation.
Narrated by Francesca “Frankie” Tate, the novel toggles between her present-day college years and her senior year of high school, when the mystery surrounding Wolf’s disappearance reignites. As Frankie reconnects with her former classmates—some haunted, some evasive—Bruno builds a quiet tension that’s less about big reveals and more about how secrets settle and metastasize over time.
Bruno, who grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Shadyside Academy, draws richly on her hometown’s textures, from the architecture of Sewickley to the industrial bustle of the Strip District. Her affection for the place—and her willingness to interrogate it—is palpable.
The novel is most affecting in its depiction of adolescent friendship, particularly between Frankie and Shiv, whose bond anchors the story emotionally. Beneath the mystery lies a meditation on privilege, grief, and the kinds of loyalty that endure even when the institutions meant to protect us do not.
While the ending doesn’t deliver neat justice, it offers something more honest: a reckoning. And like the best literary mysteries, Fine Young People leaves the reader with lingering questions—and the sense that some answers, like adolescence itself, resist full clarity.
Narrated by Francesca “Frankie” Tate, the novel toggles between her present-day college years and her senior year of high school, when the mystery surrounding Wolf’s disappearance reignites. As Frankie reconnects with her former classmates—some haunted, some evasive—Bruno builds a quiet tension that’s less about big reveals and more about how secrets settle and metastasize over time.
Bruno, who grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Shadyside Academy, draws richly on her hometown’s textures, from the architecture of Sewickley to the industrial bustle of the Strip District. Her affection for the place—and her willingness to interrogate it—is palpable.
The novel is most affecting in its depiction of adolescent friendship, particularly between Frankie and Shiv, whose bond anchors the story emotionally. Beneath the mystery lies a meditation on privilege, grief, and the kinds of loyalty that endure even when the institutions meant to protect us do not.
While the ending doesn’t deliver neat justice, it offers something more honest: a reckoning. And like the best literary mysteries, Fine Young People leaves the reader with lingering questions—and the sense that some answers, like adolescence itself, resist full clarity.
July 21, 2025
Fine Young People (thank you #gifted @novelsuspects @algonquin ) is a slow-burn campus mystery about friendship, privilege, and hockey.
Frankie is a senior at a prestigious Catholic high school. After a classmate who's a hockey player commits suicide, she decides to investigate the alleged suicide of Woolf, a hockey player who died 18 years earlier. She contacts three people close to Woolf: his younger sister, his best friend, and his girlfriend, and we get chapters from their high school years, too.
Told from Frankie's POV as a college junior recounting the past, there's a removal from the high school events that kept it from being too YA (though it definitely walks a fine line there). Frankie has her own search for identity and trying to understand her place amongst her peer, which allows for lots of reflective passages.
The suburbs of Pittsburgh and the wealth divide, the grandeur of the storied high school, the money that's poured into hockey: Bruno brings this town to life with a strong sense of place.
The beginning was a bit slow. There were some scenes that I don't know why they were included. But the pace picked up as the novel progresses and more secrets come to light.
Family, class, ambition, religion, adoption: this novel contains so much. Mostly, though, it's about the loyalty we have for our friends, and the things- intentional and not- that our schools and families teach us to value. An introspective mystery. 3.5 stars
Frankie is a senior at a prestigious Catholic high school. After a classmate who's a hockey player commits suicide, she decides to investigate the alleged suicide of Woolf, a hockey player who died 18 years earlier. She contacts three people close to Woolf: his younger sister, his best friend, and his girlfriend, and we get chapters from their high school years, too.
Told from Frankie's POV as a college junior recounting the past, there's a removal from the high school events that kept it from being too YA (though it definitely walks a fine line there). Frankie has her own search for identity and trying to understand her place amongst her peer, which allows for lots of reflective passages.
The suburbs of Pittsburgh and the wealth divide, the grandeur of the storied high school, the money that's poured into hockey: Bruno brings this town to life with a strong sense of place.
The beginning was a bit slow. There were some scenes that I don't know why they were included. But the pace picked up as the novel progresses and more secrets come to light.
Family, class, ambition, religion, adoption: this novel contains so much. Mostly, though, it's about the loyalty we have for our friends, and the things- intentional and not- that our schools and families teach us to value. An introspective mystery. 3.5 stars
April 11, 2025
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book and it was fantastic— all the things; a plotty page turner with complex characters, great writing, and an ending with an uptick that makes it possible to have a bit more faith in humanity. Highly recommend.
March 10, 2025
A fantastic literary mystery that might become a bestseller if the industry plays its cards right. One thing’s for sure: I’m not gonna let my kid play hockey.
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October 22, 2025dnf af
September 2, 2025
I was taken in by this novel about a teenage girl who decides to do her final grade 12 research project about a boy from her high school who seemingly died from an OD before one of the school's big hockey games. He was expected to be drafted by the NHL until things went so horribly wrong 15+ years ago. He was the first of three teen deaths at her school in recent years.
His death never really made sense to those who knew him well, saying he would never take drugs—hockey was too important to him, and that he would never have intentionally taken his own life.
As she digs, she uncovers more than a couple town secrets, some of which will make her re-evaluate her own life.
Thanks @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
His death never really made sense to those who knew him well, saying he would never take drugs—hockey was too important to him, and that he would never have intentionally taken his own life.
As she digs, she uncovers more than a couple town secrets, some of which will make her re-evaluate her own life.
Thanks @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
Want to read
September 1, 2025Being from Pittsburgh, I was so excited to dive into this one! The premise sounded really thrilling, but unfortunately it just didn’t click for me. I tried both the physical copy and the audiobook and had the same experience with each. I made it about 30–40% in before deciding to set it aside.
I’m a big thriller fan, but this one leaned more into the slow-burn side, which isn’t really my preference. That said, I loved all the Pittsburgh references—they were such a fun touch! Since I didn’t finish, I won’t be leaving a rating, but I’m still really grateful for the ARC and will definitely recommend it to my Pittsburgh friends 🥰
I’m a big thriller fan, but this one leaned more into the slow-burn side, which isn’t really my preference. That said, I loved all the Pittsburgh references—they were such a fun touch! Since I didn’t finish, I won’t be leaving a rating, but I’m still really grateful for the ARC and will definitely recommend it to my Pittsburgh friends 🥰
August 24, 2025
Murder mystery + high school drama, what's not to love!
Fun and captivating read :)
Fun and captivating read :)
July 28, 2025
If you’ve been here a minute, it’s very possible you’ve heard me say that I am always down for a book with an academic setting. A boarding school, a university, a public high school… I love them all.
In this new release, two students of an elite Pennsylvania prep school research a decades-old death and uncover a lifetime of secrets.
I did an immersive read with this one, both reading it on my Kjndle and listening to the audio. I haven’t done a ton of these, but I really enjoyed it! The book was very well-written, and I loved hearing the words narrated, as well.
This book brought to mind I Have Some Questions for You and the Beartown series for me, and those are both positives in my book!
Although not the central theme, hockey is an important part of this story (hence the Beartown allusion). I have never been to a hockey game and honestly know very little about it. Are you a hockey fan? 🏒
In this new release, two students of an elite Pennsylvania prep school research a decades-old death and uncover a lifetime of secrets.
I did an immersive read with this one, both reading it on my Kjndle and listening to the audio. I haven’t done a ton of these, but I really enjoyed it! The book was very well-written, and I loved hearing the words narrated, as well.
This book brought to mind I Have Some Questions for You and the Beartown series for me, and those are both positives in my book!
Although not the central theme, hockey is an important part of this story (hence the Beartown allusion). I have never been to a hockey game and honestly know very little about it. Are you a hockey fan? 🏒
August 2, 2025
Going in I thought this was going to be more thriller, while in actuality, this is really the story of secrets - and truth be told, the reality of what this is was so, so good, and I loved the way the story was told. For a class project, Frankie decides to investigate a death of a hockey player that was ruled a suicide. She believes there's more to the story, and she's determined to find out what that is. Along the way, she connects with various individuals who have a connection to Woolf's death, and each of them brings bits of the truth. What I loved is that there was mystery in this one and some good connecting threads, but interspersed throughout were also reflections and realizations about faith, family, grief, and life. This was an unexpected read in so many good ways. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this July 2025 release.
September 29, 2025
Disclosure: I received a copy of FINE YOUNG PEOPLE in exchange for an honest review.
FINE YOUNG PEOPLE by Anna Bruno is the moody, atmospheric dark academia novel I’ve been wanting to read and I’m here for it. I enjoy a thoughtful, well-developed narrator with a realistic prep school setting eerily similar to the one I attended, 2,500 miles away. It’s as if Bruno had a front row seat to witness and capture the palpable level of mysterious dysfunction these institutions exude.
Spoiler alert: Anna Bruno is a phenomenal writer with an impressive resume, and my new favorite author!
P.S. And, although it did not influence my review in any way, I can share Anna Bruno went above and beyond to secure a copy of her book for this review, which makes her an outstanding human in my book. ORDINARY HAZARDS is on my TBR, btw.
FINE YOUNG PEOPLE by Anna Bruno is the moody, atmospheric dark academia novel I’ve been wanting to read and I’m here for it. I enjoy a thoughtful, well-developed narrator with a realistic prep school setting eerily similar to the one I attended, 2,500 miles away. It’s as if Bruno had a front row seat to witness and capture the palpable level of mysterious dysfunction these institutions exude.
Spoiler alert: Anna Bruno is a phenomenal writer with an impressive resume, and my new favorite author!
P.S. And, although it did not influence my review in any way, I can share Anna Bruno went above and beyond to secure a copy of her book for this review, which makes her an outstanding human in my book. ORDINARY HAZARDS is on my TBR, btw.
August 12, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5. Great story, lots of meat, and beautiful language.
July 25, 2025
Good story, yes. Interesting characters, yes. Mystery, yes. Slow, low burn suspense, maybe. Thriller, no. While the story centered on three deaths at the same private religious high school, it was really more about Frankie and the discovery of herself and her past. In a way, the deaths she and her best friend decide to investigate are there as a catalyst for Frankie's story, which takes center stage throughout the book. Well written, this book is more for people interested in family secrets and drama rather than a suspenseful thriller.
Thanks to Algonquin Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to Algonquin Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
May 17, 2025
I found this to be a mildly interesting novel about the suspicious deaths of three hockey players from the same school over a 20 year period. Two female students from the same school take it upon themselves to investigate these deaths as a school project. The story is crammed full of topics such as adoption, underage drinking, drugs, high school pregnancy, a Ponzi scheme embezzlement, Catholicism, teenage puppy love, etc. along the way to a not particularly satisfying conclusion.
I thank NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.
I thank NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.
July 12, 2025
Thank you to Algonquin Books and Goodreads for my copy of this book. Fine Young People was an all around great read. It is exceptionally written with an intriguing plot and great characters. What sets this story apart for a mystery is it's incredibly emotionally resonant.
August 6, 2025
good read
First time for this author, but worth the read. Brings a lot to mind and possess questions that I’m everyone of us has at time wondered.
First time for this author, but worth the read. Brings a lot to mind and possess questions that I’m everyone of us has at time wondered.
July 29, 2025
Was his death a tragic accident...or something far worse?
St Ignatius is an elite Catholic high school in Sewickley PA, a wealthy suburb of Pittsburgh. Students at St Ignatius are expected (by parents, teachers, coaches and the administration) to succeed, preferably by way of an Ivy League university. It is the time of year when the seniors are finding out whether or not they have been accepted into their top choice college, and while no one explicitly announces their destination everyone seems to find out anyway. It is a shock when senior Kyle Murphy, who had just been accepted to Brown, drives off a local bridge, an apparent suicide. His last post on social media referenced another St Ignatius student who had died under mysterious circumstances; eighteen years earlier Woolf Whiting, the good looking star hockey player with a future ahead of him that all agreed was guaranteed to be bright, was found in the school chapel right before a game, dead as a result of an opioid overdose/poisoning which the police quickly concluded was either accidental or suicide. His mother swears he was killed, slipped a drug far more powerful than the pain reliever he thought it was, but people put her campaign for justice down to a mother's desperation. Kyle's suicide has people thinking back to Woolf's death, including Frankie Northrup, one of Kyle's classmates, a model student and the adopted daughter of one of the school's teachers, someone who works hard and doesn't make waves. She and her best friend Shiv have been searching for a topic for a class project and decide to delve into what really happened to Woolf. Part of Frankie's curiosity is spurred by what she perceives as her mother's unusual degree of interest in Woolf. As she and Shiv search through old yearbooks and newspaper records and talk to the three people who knew Woolf best...his sister Maddie, his girlfriend Susanna and his best friend Vince...they discover things about their school and the privilege and power that fuel it which are unsettling. Frankie will also learn things about her own past that she never suspected, and what started as a school project becomes something far bigger than she and Shiv ever anticipated.
Fine Young People is set in a private high school, but this is by no means a teen/YA story. Having recently gone through my daughter's senior year of high school, the pressures, angst, and high expectations of high achieving students rang very true. Author Anna Bruno weaves together themes of wealth, privilege, class, dysfunction, love and friendships within the pressure cooker atmosphere of a school where much is expected, even demanded, of its students, with added observations on the culture of elite sports and the outsized influence it has in academic institutions, The characters are nuanced and well-developed, and their pursuit of answers in the face of those who want the past to stay buried makes for an intriguing investigation. Some may find it hard to feel too badly for these young people of privilege, and it certainly doesn't make for light reading, but having observed first hand the pressures put on students today both by the people in their lives and the ever-present scourge that is social media I readily empathized with Frankie and her peers. My one regret about the book is that the other two deaths, that of Kyle and a second boy who killed himself a few years previously, weren't looked into once Frankie focused on Woolf...yes, they likely succumbed to the escalating expectations on them as students and sports players, but I would have enjoyed seeing Frankie and Shiv drill down into their situations too. Readers of Donna Tartt, Liz Moore and Curtis Sittenfeld should pick up a copy of this thought=provoking story which melds a coming-of-age story with an unexpected mystery, one I rate at 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5. Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.
St Ignatius is an elite Catholic high school in Sewickley PA, a wealthy suburb of Pittsburgh. Students at St Ignatius are expected (by parents, teachers, coaches and the administration) to succeed, preferably by way of an Ivy League university. It is the time of year when the seniors are finding out whether or not they have been accepted into their top choice college, and while no one explicitly announces their destination everyone seems to find out anyway. It is a shock when senior Kyle Murphy, who had just been accepted to Brown, drives off a local bridge, an apparent suicide. His last post on social media referenced another St Ignatius student who had died under mysterious circumstances; eighteen years earlier Woolf Whiting, the good looking star hockey player with a future ahead of him that all agreed was guaranteed to be bright, was found in the school chapel right before a game, dead as a result of an opioid overdose/poisoning which the police quickly concluded was either accidental or suicide. His mother swears he was killed, slipped a drug far more powerful than the pain reliever he thought it was, but people put her campaign for justice down to a mother's desperation. Kyle's suicide has people thinking back to Woolf's death, including Frankie Northrup, one of Kyle's classmates, a model student and the adopted daughter of one of the school's teachers, someone who works hard and doesn't make waves. She and her best friend Shiv have been searching for a topic for a class project and decide to delve into what really happened to Woolf. Part of Frankie's curiosity is spurred by what she perceives as her mother's unusual degree of interest in Woolf. As she and Shiv search through old yearbooks and newspaper records and talk to the three people who knew Woolf best...his sister Maddie, his girlfriend Susanna and his best friend Vince...they discover things about their school and the privilege and power that fuel it which are unsettling. Frankie will also learn things about her own past that she never suspected, and what started as a school project becomes something far bigger than she and Shiv ever anticipated.
Fine Young People is set in a private high school, but this is by no means a teen/YA story. Having recently gone through my daughter's senior year of high school, the pressures, angst, and high expectations of high achieving students rang very true. Author Anna Bruno weaves together themes of wealth, privilege, class, dysfunction, love and friendships within the pressure cooker atmosphere of a school where much is expected, even demanded, of its students, with added observations on the culture of elite sports and the outsized influence it has in academic institutions, The characters are nuanced and well-developed, and their pursuit of answers in the face of those who want the past to stay buried makes for an intriguing investigation. Some may find it hard to feel too badly for these young people of privilege, and it certainly doesn't make for light reading, but having observed first hand the pressures put on students today both by the people in their lives and the ever-present scourge that is social media I readily empathized with Frankie and her peers. My one regret about the book is that the other two deaths, that of Kyle and a second boy who killed himself a few years previously, weren't looked into once Frankie focused on Woolf...yes, they likely succumbed to the escalating expectations on them as students and sports players, but I would have enjoyed seeing Frankie and Shiv drill down into their situations too. Readers of Donna Tartt, Liz Moore and Curtis Sittenfeld should pick up a copy of this thought=provoking story which melds a coming-of-age story with an unexpected mystery, one I rate at 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5. Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.
July 7, 2025
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.
“Fine Young People” is a coming of age plus mystery book by Anna Bruno, I have really mixed feelings about this book because it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. A plus was the fact that the chapters were, for the most part, short ones, making reading this book seem to go faster. Another plus was that I was engaged with the main character, Frankie, and her friend Shiv. I thought both teenagers were well portrayed. This book is told in two timelines, which also helped move the story along. What I wasn’t as happy about is that Frankie is telling the story in a reflection - meaning she’s telling it as she’s in college, but this happened back in her senior year of high school. Frankie’s aside comments about the present time seemed a bit foreshadowing than they needed to be. What I wasn’t as happy about was the mystery’s solution - it felt like a lot of build-up to something that is resolved in the last 5% of the book and while there were hints if one looked for them in the prose, it did rather seemed to fell a lot like out of left field. I’m still not quite sure how ALL of the boys were connected - other than the hockey - but, that could be me, not the author. This book, for me, was a solid four until the final unraveling when it dipped down to a 3.5, so that’s my final rating, but bumped up to a four star read because it was really good for most of the book.
“Fine Young People” is a coming of age plus mystery book by Anna Bruno, I have really mixed feelings about this book because it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. A plus was the fact that the chapters were, for the most part, short ones, making reading this book seem to go faster. Another plus was that I was engaged with the main character, Frankie, and her friend Shiv. I thought both teenagers were well portrayed. This book is told in two timelines, which also helped move the story along. What I wasn’t as happy about is that Frankie is telling the story in a reflection - meaning she’s telling it as she’s in college, but this happened back in her senior year of high school. Frankie’s aside comments about the present time seemed a bit foreshadowing than they needed to be. What I wasn’t as happy about was the mystery’s solution - it felt like a lot of build-up to something that is resolved in the last 5% of the book and while there were hints if one looked for them in the prose, it did rather seemed to fell a lot like out of left field. I’m still not quite sure how ALL of the boys were connected - other than the hockey - but, that could be me, not the author. This book, for me, was a solid four until the final unraveling when it dipped down to a 3.5, so that’s my final rating, but bumped up to a four star read because it was really good for most of the book.
May 4, 2025
(ARC review) I read an earlier draft of this novel and all of its brilliance was already there because this is such a standout story with a unique author voice. It's a funny, wise, deep, fun, suspenseful coming-of-age / mystery for our conflicted times. The story, mostly set at and around an elite prep school, touches on a huge range of human experiences, everything from young love, ambition and achievement, high school sports, grief, and it does so with such an elegantly light touch.
There's a wonderfully vivid cast of characters--each one is so sharply drawn with imaginative empathy. Their relationships with one another are probably my favorite part of this novel: I love the friendship between Shiv and Frankie, and the young love of Susanna and Woolf, and Maddie's evolving relationship to her parents Mo and Big D. And there's some surprising relationships that I'm not going to spoil here because this is, after all, a literary mystery! But I promise they are totally worth it.
Bonus: the chapters are super short, which is great for reading motivation. I read this over the course of many exhausted days and it was so nice to say to myself "oh, I'll just read a chapter" and actually finish a chapter.
There's a wonderfully vivid cast of characters--each one is so sharply drawn with imaginative empathy. Their relationships with one another are probably my favorite part of this novel: I love the friendship between Shiv and Frankie, and the young love of Susanna and Woolf, and Maddie's evolving relationship to her parents Mo and Big D. And there's some surprising relationships that I'm not going to spoil here because this is, after all, a literary mystery! But I promise they are totally worth it.
Bonus: the chapters are super short, which is great for reading motivation. I read this over the course of many exhausted days and it was so nice to say to myself "oh, I'll just read a chapter" and actually finish a chapter.
August 4, 2025
Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Anna Bruno. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!
Frankie and her best friend, Shiv, are working on a senior journalism project at their elite Catholic prep school in Pittsburgh, focusing on the presumed suicide of a student years earlier, after a current classmate just died by suicide. The young women start probing into the earlier death of Woolf Whiting, a hockey star student, and begin conversations with his sister, his best friend, his girlfriend, and his mother. Along the way, Frankie discovers much more than she expected.
I really enjoyed this novel and the way the story was presented. From the viewpoint of her college years, Frankie narrates the story of their high school project as they are interviewing those involved. Those interviews give us insight into the back story of all the involved people in Woolf's life. While the mystery into what really happened to Woolf is intriguing, I also really enjoyed the coming-of-age exploration and the Catholic and religious themes throughout. Plus, it definitely shines an eye on the importance of sports in such institutions and the issues that can present. Wonderful book!
Frankie and her best friend, Shiv, are working on a senior journalism project at their elite Catholic prep school in Pittsburgh, focusing on the presumed suicide of a student years earlier, after a current classmate just died by suicide. The young women start probing into the earlier death of Woolf Whiting, a hockey star student, and begin conversations with his sister, his best friend, his girlfriend, and his mother. Along the way, Frankie discovers much more than she expected.
I really enjoyed this novel and the way the story was presented. From the viewpoint of her college years, Frankie narrates the story of their high school project as they are interviewing those involved. Those interviews give us insight into the back story of all the involved people in Woolf's life. While the mystery into what really happened to Woolf is intriguing, I also really enjoyed the coming-of-age exploration and the Catholic and religious themes throughout. Plus, it definitely shines an eye on the importance of sports in such institutions and the issues that can present. Wonderful book!
August 29, 2025
Fine Young People by Anna Bruno is about Frankie who lives in Philadelphia in recently a classmate was found dead supposedly due to suicide something that his trailed her existence because the year she was born a superstar hockey player also committed suicide as does a third high school hockey player bringing it to three shocking deths and now Frankie takes it upon herself to figure out what happened. at the very least they had hockey in common and also the way their lives ended but do they share a murderer? I don’t know if it was just me but I found some of this book very confusing I don’t know if it was because the whole thing was told in the past and she was talking about her past while thinking about an even further distant past but I got through it and although the ending I must say if you could get through the book it’s pretty good I love an unexpected ending but the some parts of the book were beyond me and even took me a few chapters to know which gender Frankie was claiming it’s not important but to me as a reader I think it is. Certainly love this book especially if you love hockey because there is a lot of hockey talk not about the game but just overall hockey in general especially high school hockey at a private school and all that and tales so yeah somebody like it by myself only found it OK. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #AnnaBruno, #FineYoungPeople,
July 31, 2025
𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑮 𝑷𝑬𝑶𝑷𝑳𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑩𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒐 #gifted to me by @algonquinbooks to which I was glued.
Frankie is a model student and all-around good kid when halfway through the year, a student dies by suicide after a mention of Woolf Whiting, another young man lost to a presumed suicide a generation earlier. Frankie and her best friend Shiv begin to investigate Woolf's death for a class, but they upend secrets that have deeper connections than they ever imagined.
Unlike the fast-paced popcorn thrillers, this is a slow burn, coming-of-age story with revelations and a final bit of redemption. Once I understood the way this story would progress, I settled in and really enjoyed sifting through the community, bound by a love of hockey and its players. I loved the dual timeline that kept Frankie's journey moving with what actually happened with Woolf, his family, his friends, & his community. The costs and pressures to achieve are examined within a compelling mystery. This would make a great discussion choice for a bookclub with much more to parse out.
I definitely recommend this for fans of literary mysteries and for those who know a story unfolds in its time and will wait for the reward.
Frankie is a model student and all-around good kid when halfway through the year, a student dies by suicide after a mention of Woolf Whiting, another young man lost to a presumed suicide a generation earlier. Frankie and her best friend Shiv begin to investigate Woolf's death for a class, but they upend secrets that have deeper connections than they ever imagined.
Unlike the fast-paced popcorn thrillers, this is a slow burn, coming-of-age story with revelations and a final bit of redemption. Once I understood the way this story would progress, I settled in and really enjoyed sifting through the community, bound by a love of hockey and its players. I loved the dual timeline that kept Frankie's journey moving with what actually happened with Woolf, his family, his friends, & his community. The costs and pressures to achieve are examined within a compelling mystery. This would make a great discussion choice for a bookclub with much more to parse out.
I definitely recommend this for fans of literary mysteries and for those who know a story unfolds in its time and will wait for the reward.
August 16, 2025
I don't recall where I saw "Ordinary Hazards," but I read Anna Bruno's first book because she has the same name as my grandmother and my first cousin. I liked that book. So when I saw she had a new one out I reserved it at the St Louis County Library. The name was why I read the first book, the author why why I read the second.
I have to say, "Fine Young People," is not the sort of story I go looking for. I don't do mystery so much, I am more of a standard literary fiction. This was such a good read though, I really enjoyed it. It unfolded slowly and there were great surprises along the way. There was, for me, no way to see where the story was going to go, and it was a fun trip. I liked the characters a great deal and cared about what happened to them.
This would make a good movie I think, I hope someone takes notice. I will drop Ms Bruno a line sometime soon, she was gracious when I wrote to her about her first book and I will let he know I enjoyed this one. I thought this very good entertainment.
I have to say, "Fine Young People," is not the sort of story I go looking for. I don't do mystery so much, I am more of a standard literary fiction. This was such a good read though, I really enjoyed it. It unfolded slowly and there were great surprises along the way. There was, for me, no way to see where the story was going to go, and it was a fun trip. I liked the characters a great deal and cared about what happened to them.
This would make a good movie I think, I hope someone takes notice. I will drop Ms Bruno a line sometime soon, she was gracious when I wrote to her about her first book and I will let he know I enjoyed this one. I thought this very good entertainment.
July 29, 2025
Fine Young People by Anna Bruno is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that weaves together themes of loss, identity, and the quiet complexities of small-town life. With a narrative that feels both timely and timeless, Bruno delivers a story that resonates on multiple levels, offering moments of reflection, emotional depth, and striking honesty.
The writing is rich with detail, and the characters are carefully crafted—each carrying their own struggles and truths that feel deeply human. What makes this novel particularly impactful is how it tackles relevant social themes without ever feeling forced, instead letting them emerge naturally through the characters’ experiences and choices.
Though understated in tone, Fine Young People is powerful in its execution. Anna Bruno offers a unique and layered story that leaves a lasting impression. It’s the kind of novel that invites conversation and contemplation, making it a worthwhile and rewarding read.
The writing is rich with detail, and the characters are carefully crafted—each carrying their own struggles and truths that feel deeply human. What makes this novel particularly impactful is how it tackles relevant social themes without ever feeling forced, instead letting them emerge naturally through the characters’ experiences and choices.
Though understated in tone, Fine Young People is powerful in its execution. Anna Bruno offers a unique and layered story that leaves a lasting impression. It’s the kind of novel that invites conversation and contemplation, making it a worthwhile and rewarding read.
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